A Capital Day

Our family traveled to our state capital over 200 miles and 3 hours away yesterday through a horrible winter storm. I must admit, if I was the one driving we wouldn’t have gone. I don’t do icy roads and high winds with blowing snow, especially when there are many cars and trucks littering the ditches, that didn’t make it through. So I’m really glad went with us, because it was for a great reason and we needed to be there. We met today for Legislative Day at the capital building with other home educating families.

In the early 1980’s home and church educators in our state went through many legal battles. Those battles led to a home education law that we can live with, for those with religious convictions. They acknowledge our exemption, that because of our religious convictions we can not place our children in a state accredited school. Many families spent much time at our state capital in those early days, being the voice of the people to their representatives, as our government is built upon. Several years ago a second law was passed, for those who do not have religious convictions, to “legally” home educate their children also. Although it still was, and always is, essential to maintain contact with our representatives and stay knowledgeable as to what is happening in legislature, there hasn’t been the need for us to fight for our parental rights in this area for a long time.

We now have a new generation of home educators – and some of us “old timers” still around. Some of that new generation are second generation home educators and going back now as adults, where before they’d been at their parents’ sides as children. Some are first gen home educators that have never seen first hand what it takes. Today we saw. A bill has been introduced that would greatly and adversely change our ability to legally home educate in Nebraska, and it was time once again to stand up for our parental educational rights.

Although there is an annual Legislative Day at the Capital for home educators, most years not as many of us from out-state are able to make it in. This year, in the midst of this winter storm, around 600 came out. Attendance was anticipated at around 1000, but obviously many were not able to make it because of the weather.  I believe our attendance is a great accomplishment when attendance at both public and parochial schools in our capital city today was 0. Yes, all the schools were closed, on this day that our children from across the state were in the state capital learning first hand about our legislative process.

In addition to touring the capital, and listening in on hearings, we were able to listen to several speeches by home-education-friendly senators and others in our state government, including our Governor. Many had already contacted many of our senators, and received positive responses – that would be negative to the bill. Several had told their constituents that they would not allow this bill to pass. This morning we also heard from our Governor that if the bill somehow passed and made it to his desk, he would veto it, but he didn’t think it would make it that far. He encouraged us to continue the education process – that of educating the Senators and the public about the faultiness of this bill, and to believe that through information this bill will be killed in committee and not make it to the legislative floor to waste time there.

We also were able to visit with our own Senator, introducing ourselves, asking his stance on the bill and informing him, if necessary. The day ended with lunch together and a few more short speeches by family ministries in our state – and for us a long trip back home, before work tonight, on much better roads. Two day’s time and motel, food, gas, and time-off-of-work money well spent – that we might continue to enjoy liberty in obeying God in the education of our children. All praise to God.